CES 2013 | Nvidia unveils Tegra 4 SoC

Nvidia unveils Tegra 4 SoC

As expected, NVIDIA has taken the wraps off the quad-core Tegra 4 processor. The company's newest SoC features 4 Cortex-A15-based cores and offers faster graphics performance as well as optional 4G/LTE.

It was no secret that NVIDIA planned to unveil the Tegra 4 processor at CES this year, and they have done just that in Las Vegas. Codenamed "Wayne", the new Tegra 4 is supposedly the "Fastest Mobile Processor" and is based on a 28nm manufacturing process. The new System-on-a-Chip also features an ARM Cortex-A15-based, 4-core processor with ULP GeForce graphics and optional 4G/LTE.

At the CES event, NVIDIA demonstrated the Tegra 4 going head-to-head with the Samsung Exynos dual-SoC 5250, and the Tegra 4 easily came out on top as far as web browsing is concerned. In addition, the graphics performance of NVIDIA's latest is expected to be 6 times as powerful as the Tegra 3 thanks to its 72 GPU cores. The SoC will reportedly consume 45% less power due to the addition of a 2nd-generation Power Saver CPU Core.

The Tegra 4 also ushers in NVIDIA's new Computational Photography Architecture, which allows real time processing of HDR photo and video. Unfortunately, NVIDIA still hasn't managed to integrate a LTE modem onto the chip directly, but voice and data are supported through an optional Icera i500 chipset. Direct integration is expected some time in 2013, but details and an exact timeframe have yet to be made available.

Previously codenamed "Wayne," Tegra 4 features 72 custom NVIDIA GeForce™ GPU cores -- or six times the GPU horsepower of Tegra 3 -- which deliver more realistic gaming experiences and higher resolution displays. It includes the first quad-core application of ARM's most advanced CPU core, the Cortex-A15, which delivers 2.6x faster web browsing and breakthrough performance for apps.

Tegra 4 also enables worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support through an optional chipset, the fifth-generation NVIDIA Icera® i500 processor. More efficient and 40 percent the size of conventional modems, i500 delivers four times the processing capability of its predecessor.

"Tegra 4 provides enormous processing power and efficiency to power smartphones and tablets, gaming devices, auto systems and PCs," said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of the Tegra business at NVIDIA. "Its new capabilities, particularly in the area of computational photography, will help improve a whole range of existing products and lead to the creation of exciting new ones."

Computational Photography CapabilityAmong the Tegra 4 processor's breakthroughs is its Computational Photography Architecture, which automatically delivers high dynamic range (HDR) photos and video by fusing together the processing power of the GPU, CPU and the camera's image-signal processor.

Its HDR capability captures images, including those taken with a flash, the way they are seen by the human eye -- with detail in both bright and dark areas.

Unprecedented Power EfficiencyDesigned for maximum energy efficiency, Tegra 4 includes a second-generation battery saver core for low power during standard use, and PRISM 2 Display technology to reduce backlight power while delivering superior visuals.

Tegra 4 consumes up to 45 percent less power than its predecessor, Tegra 3, in common use cases. And it enables up to 14 hours of HD video playback on phones.

About NVIDIANVIDIA (<exchange name="NASDAQ" style="margin-top: 0px;">NASDAQ</exchange>: <ticker name="NVDA" style="margin-top: 0px;">NVDA</ticker>) awakened the world to computer graphics when it invented the GPUin 1999. Today, its processors power a broad range of products from smartphones tosupercomputers. NVIDIA's mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. PC gamers rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds. Professionals use them to create 3D graphics and visual effects in movies and to design everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. And researchers utilize GPUs to advance the frontiers of science with high performance computing. The company has more than 5,000 patents issued, allowed or filed, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to the impact and benefits of the NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor and the effects of the company's patents on modern computing are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including its Form 10-Q for the fiscal period ended October 28, 2012. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company's website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.